Ridecamp: Fwd: [RC] More evil insects

Yep, sounds like you got into chiggars bad.  You're correct that they look like little bitty ticks...they do have 8 legs.  They're actually blood-sucking mites.  And yeah, they itch like crazy!  They like places where clothing is tight - especially around socks, panty lines, under your bra(!!), etc.  As you can see, if you make the mistake of sitting down in grass with chiggars, you can end up needing to scratch in embarassing places.  <G>  The good news is that spraying thoroughly with a good insect repellent (containing deet) will keep 'em off.  Avoid grass if possible - they really congregate there.  Now that you have them, use any good anti-itch cream.  Don't waste your money on the stuff that says it "suffocates them" - they do NOT burrow into your skin.  The itch is due to your body's allergic reaction to the chiggars' saliva.  Personally, I have a wonderful hairbrush that works great to scratch them with.  <G>

Dawn in East Texas (chiggar hell in the spring and summer)
> --- Begin Message ---
> A. Perez walkergirl@xxxxxxxxxx
>   Last weekend my husband and I drove out to the GWnational park and hiked a bit.  We were on fairly clear trails most of the time, but when we got home and pulled off our socks, we found our feet and ankles covered with teeny-tiny blood-sucking insects.  At first glance they looked like the blood-spots left behind after a flea bite, but on closer inspection the reddish brown specs were the bugs themselves, which looked like very small ticks (even smaller then dee-ticks). They were very hard to remove, and two days later have left very itchy, fluid-filled, tiny red blisters.  Nasty!  Any of you who have ridden the Old Dominion ride encounter these before?  (We were not far from Fort Valley).  I am curious what exactly they are..  Chiggers?
>
> Amanda, scratching her ankles and cursing
>
>
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